JOHN M. WILSON, LT, USNR
John Wilson '34
Lucky Bag
From the 1934 Lucky Bag:
JOHN MURRAY WILSON
Scottsburg, Indiana
"Willie" "John" "Jim"
A DESIRE to pilot a battle ship instead of handling the business end of a plow was responsible for the Academy receiving one of the most capable of its members. In all probability there is no one who has contributed more to keeping as many of his classmates "sat" as our friend who hails from Indiana. Not only his ability to figure out problems which are beyond the scope of our professors, but his willingness to impart this knowledge has for the last four years made his room the rendezvous for all those who wish to be "in the know."
His activities do not stop with those confined to the intellectual, since on the athletic fields he is equally as well-known. His main interests first centered on crew and football, with the former finally giving way entirely to football. In addition to his work on the gridiron he plays a good game of basketball, baseball, tennis and bridge.
His success or failure will not be credited to, or blamed upon the weaker sex, for the femmes that we hear so much about have no place in his life. From all outwardly appearances he is a Red Mike, but those who know him well have reason to believe otherwise.
When he goes out into the fleet he will take with him the best wishes that his classmates can offer, and we know that his success will be even greater than it has these last four years at the Academy.
Football 4, 3, 2, 1. Crew 4, 3. Star 2, 1. Mid. Lt.
JOHN MURRAY WILSON
Scottsburg, Indiana
"Willie" "John" "Jim"
A DESIRE to pilot a battle ship instead of handling the business end of a plow was responsible for the Academy receiving one of the most capable of its members. In all probability there is no one who has contributed more to keeping as many of his classmates "sat" as our friend who hails from Indiana. Not only his ability to figure out problems which are beyond the scope of our professors, but his willingness to impart this knowledge has for the last four years made his room the rendezvous for all those who wish to be "in the know."
His activities do not stop with those confined to the intellectual, since on the athletic fields he is equally as well-known. His main interests first centered on crew and football, with the former finally giving way entirely to football. In addition to his work on the gridiron he plays a good game of basketball, baseball, tennis and bridge.
His success or failure will not be credited to, or blamed upon the weaker sex, for the femmes that we hear so much about have no place in his life. From all outwardly appearances he is a Red Mike, but those who know him well have reason to believe otherwise.
When he goes out into the fleet he will take with him the best wishes that his classmates can offer, and we know that his success will be even greater than it has these last four years at the Academy.
Football 4, 3, 2, 1. Crew 4, 3. Star 2, 1. Mid. Lt.
Loss
John was lost when USS Gregory (APD 3) was sunk near Guadalcanal by Japanese surface forces early in the morning of September 5, 1942.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
On graduation day May 28, 1934, John -- as first company commander -- received the regimental colors from the “color girl” Miss Sara Mumma at the formal dress parade. John had selected her on May 24. The former practice of kissing the “color girl” had been discontinued, so the entire regiment cheered her.
Because there were not enough navy officers’ commissions vacancies to provide jobs, graduates resigned their commissions. A bill sponsored by Representative Vinson (Democrat, Georgia) sought to guarantee an ensign’s commission upon graduation.
John re-entered the Navy in January, 1940. On April 9, 1940, John lived in an apartment at 122 Callan Avenue, Evanston, Illinois, with his wife Jane and their two-month-old son David. John was a buyer for a mail order house. In 1935, he lived in Evansville, Indiana.
In 1920, John's family lived in Gibson Township, Indiana. His father William was a farmer, mother Adam, brothers William, Gordon, George and Fred; sisters Ellen, Bessie and Alice. In 1930, sisters Jean and Fay were added to the family.
In 1942, his brother Fred was in the Army Air Forces, and brother William was Clark County Superintendent of Schools.
His wife was listed as next of kin.
John has a memory marker in Indiana.
Career
John graduated from the Naval Academy but resigned immediately. Fifty-eight of his classmates did so because of physical disqualification; another 43 did so voluntarily. He joined the Naval Reserves as an Ensign, DEVG, on November 15, 1934; he was still listed as an Ensign in the 1941 edition of "Commissioned Officers, Cadets, Midshipmen, and Warrant Officers of the United States Naval Reserve."
The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.
The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.
The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.
Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.
April 1941
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